The First Step
by Kaia Mariacle
Summary: AU; Taking that first step is the hardest part. warning: slash


The First Step

Series: Stepping

Author: Kaia Mariacle

Disclaimer: Not mine.

Rating: PG-13

Summary: AU; Taking that first step is the hardest part.

Author's Notes: I was going to write something about that last scene of the latest Everwood, but then I thought, "AU, baby!" 'Cause they're so much fun, and my Bright-muse was whining about how I never let him out to play anymore. He was all jealous of my current Seth/Ryan obsession, so I thought I'd let him out to play.

Warning: Um...don't stick your finger in a light socket? 

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"Um, hey dude, I was wondering is you wanted to go see this really cool band with me."

Sigh.

"Yeah, so I have these tickets, and I heard that you like weird music, and I was thinking that maybe it'd be cool if we went to see them."

Growl. Sigh.

"So, Ephram, I have tickets to see this awesome band. And I need a date."

Long sigh. 

"Okay, so there's this-"

"What are you doing?" 

Bright turned quickly, groaning at the sight of his sister's smirking face. "Dammit, Ames, I'm busy."

"Yeah, really busy trying to think up creative lines to pick up the boy you're madly in love with." She snickered. "All, you have to do is go up to him, and say "'Hey, Ephram, you wanna go see The White Stripes with me this weekend?'"

He snorted, "Yeah, I'm going to walk up to the most popular boy at Adam's, and ask him out on a date."

"Bright, sweetie, you got the tickets months ago, with the intention of asking him out. The concert's three days away, and you haven't even introduced yourself."

"I've been planning."

"Planning, right." She shook her head. "No, I don't think any planning is has been going on. What you've been doing is stalling like a little girl."

"I'm going to do it!" He insisted, ignoring her look of disbelief. "I just have to find the right moment."

"At the rate you're going, the right moment won't come until you're thirty, and a drunk, who cries in a his bear every night about the one that got away."

"Fine, I'll do it tomorrow."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"You can do this, you can do this." 

He chanted the mantra as he walked down the hall. Towards Ephram Brown's locker, where there were like, ten people standing around, laughing at the beautiful boy's antics.

"Remember what Amy said -thirty and crying. You don't want to be that guy."

He watched the crowd disburse slightly, and took a deep breath. He was almost there, almost to Ephram. The boy he'd been pining over for two years.

He was going to do it.

"So then, he said something about pickles and cream." Ephram was so hot, even when he was telling weird stories. "I had to get the hell out of there, cause the guy was totally insane." 

"Um, hi."

The crowd grew silent at the sound of a new voice, and Bright almost felt the hostile stares from some. 

He could almost see their minds churning. 'Wow, look at the dumb jock.'

The inner thoughts disappeared as soon as Ephram looked over, and smiled at him. "Oh, hey...you're Bright, right?"

He knows you're name. Don't freak out, don't freak out. Be cool, man, be cool. Don't say anything stupid.

"Yeah, Bright is me." Dammit. "Um, yeah so, I wanted to ask you something."

Ephram grinned, and glanced at the crowd. "Hey, I'll catch up with you guys later." He waited until they'd all left, and turned back to Bright. "So, what's up?"

"Um," God, get it together, Abbott. "I have these tickets to this concert, and I wanted to know if you were interested. I mean, you don't have to say yes or anything, 'cause I know we've never talked, and you probably don't even know who I am, and-"

Ephram placed a finger on his lips, and Bright's mind went blank.

Oh God.

"Who's playing?" he asked before removing the finger. 

"Um.....um......um." Bright couldn't say the words, his lips were too dry. And he wasn't ever going to lick them again. It might wash Ephram's touch off. Luckily, he had the tickets in his pocket, and he managed to grab them, and hold them out.

His brain did a wild, happy dance as Ephram's cool expression turned into shock.

"Holy shit, dude, these are The White Stripes tickets." The smaller boy stared up at him with something akin to reverence. "I've been trying to get them for weeks now, but they're all sold out."

"I, um, bought them a few months ago." Bright stuttered out.

Ephram shook his head, and beamed up at Bright. "This is fuckin' awesome, man, they're my favorite band."

"Yeah, I know."

"I have, like, every single one of they're cd's. Even the imports!"

"So," Bright said softly. "Does that mean you're answer is yes?"

Ephram grabbed his arm, and grinned. "Of course it means yes!" He shook his head, and threw his other arm around Bright's shoulders. "This is so awesome."

Bright hardly felt the arm, because the hand had done him in seconds ago. He was in heaven. Ephram Brown was touching him.

Innocently, of course, but it was still more than he'd ever dreamed of.

"So, I'll pick you up at five?" 

"Yeah," Ephram said, then he shook his head. "No, wait, I have something to do until six."

Oh.

"That's cool....I mean, the concert doesn't start until eight anyway, so-"

"Bright, let me finish."

Bright nodded jerkily.

"I was going to say, I have something to do until six, but I definitely wouldn't mind it if you wanted to pick me up at twelve, and hang out until we have to go." He said. "As long as you don't mind babysitting my kid sister with me."

Bright shook his head, "No, I don't mind at all."

The bell rang loudly around them.

"Sheesh, I have to run, Miss Tanner is going to kick my ass if I'm late for class again." Ephram said.

"Okay," Bright took a deep breath. "So, see you on Saturday?"

Ephram nodded, and picked up his backpack. "Yeah, it's a date." 

Date?

DATE?

He watched Ephram saunter down the hall, his backside swaying. He waited until the other boy had turned the corner.

"Yes!" he shouted loudly. "Yes!"

He was oblivious to the curious onlookers, as they eyed him strangely, because he didn't care. 

He was on a high, head up in the clouds, and heart pumping furiously.

He, Bright Abbott, had a date with Ephram Brown.

Life couldn't get any better than this.

~Finis...for now~


End file.
